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Mission 6
Recap: Meeting on Planet Cambridge, Trent and Juni are told by a pilot named Vance that Professor Quintaine hasn't been seen for weeks. Vance suggests that they look up Doctor Sinclair on Planet Sprague in the Omega 3 system. Trent and Juni fly to Sprague and are intercepted by a wing of Rheinland Valkyries equipped with cloaking devices. After defeating the Rheinlanders, Trent and Juni find Sinclair and help her escape with her research from Planet Sprague. On their way to hide on Planet Leeds, they meet two Rheinland defectors, who assist them by destroying the Battleship Wotan, allowing our heroes to escape to Leeds. Trent introduces Juni and Sinclair to Tobias, who agree to work on deciphering the meaning of the artifact and finding a lead on Quintaine. Meanwhile, Juni suggests that Trent take on some jobs and earn some credits. Mission Beginning As soon as you reach Level 11, Juni will come in over the radio. Juni: "Trent, I have news! Doctor Sinclair has made good progress in analyzing the artifact. But she's now reached a point where she can't continue without the help of Quintaine. Our best lead is a pilot Quintaine sometimes works with, Dexter Hovis. He's running a gambling operation on an abandoned battleship in the Dublin system. You should start there." Pre-Mission News RHEINLAND LEAVES NEGOTIATIONS -- The summit on Curacao was brought back into session only to have it halt abruptly as Gunther Obst from Rheinland refused to re-enter the grand hall. Instead, Obst went into a closed-door, coded meeting with Chancellor Niemann, where he still remains. SUMMIT ENDS IN CONFLICT -- Chancellor Niemann spoke today, insisting on the immediate departure of Gunther Obst from the Curacao summit and dispatching several wings of fighters to escort him home. The Chancellor repeated earlier accusations against Kusari and all but accused Liberty of participating in a conspiracy to weaken Rheinland. He then declared Rheinland borders closed to all Kusari citizens traveling in or out. KUSARI CITIZENS ARRESTED -- Reports indicate that soon after the Chancellor's recent address, many Kusari citizens in Rheinland were placed under arrest "for their own safety". Shogun Edo of Kusari was reportedly outraged at this news and demanded their immediate release. There has been no response yet from the Chancellor on this matter, but Queen Carina is also appealing for their release. MORE VIOLENCE IN OMEGA -- Rheinland forces again lashed out against Bretonian patrols. This time our ships fired back, crippling several Rheinland vessels. Chancellor Niemann decried the altercation as an act of hostility against the Rheinland state. SURGE IN LOCAL ARTIFACT SALES -- Local Artifact dealers report a marked increase in Artifact sales in recent weeks. Some of this, they say, can be attributed directly to Liberty's imposed ban on their trade. However, they have also noticed an unusual number of foreign buyers, particularly from Rheinland. Sales topped at a record high again this week. JACOBI ADDRESSES RHEINLAND -- President Jacobi responded to Rheinland's recent closure of its borders with stateswoman-like aplomb. In her address she asked Chancellor Niemann to reconsider this decision, to cease all hostile activities, and to release all Kusari citizens who are being held against their will. There has been no reaction yet from Rheinland. Pre-Mission Tip If you've been crafty with your reputation with the Outcasts and Lane Hackers, you might be able to slip into the Magellan system, visit Mactan Base and pick up the Borderworld Series YX Dromedary Freighter, with the largest hold in the game at this point. Alternately, if you don't have the rep, but insist on flying a freighter, you can purchase a Kusari J20P-21F Drone Freighter on Planet Honshu. However, since it's more likely that you're going to be doing some dogfighting through the Single Player Plot for a while, you might want to consider the following fighter options: 3) The standby: Bretonia B-907A Crusader Heavy Fighter. Available at character level 8 after completing Mission 4, you may have already been flying this up to this point. This is fine: the Crusader is a decent mid-game ship. 2) The rebel: Corsair M3 Class Legionnaire Light Fighter. Also available at character level 8, the Legionnaire gives additional energy capacity, recharge rate and turn speed at the expense of two Class 5 gun ports. Not an insignificant loss of firepower; however, the Legionnaire will rarely run out of juice, and its slim profile and fast turning make it a good choice post Mission 4. 1) The boss: Kusari J7P-7Q Drake Light Fighter. Available at character level 10, the Drake ideally should be picked up immediately from Planet Kyushu as soon as the player completes Mission 5, and while you're at it, pick up some Class 5 Graviton Shields, you earned it. Unfortunately, unless the player has been working hard at cultivating reputation, the Outcasts and Blood Dragons may be hostile, and that can get downright nasty in the Tau systems. Avoid combat for now: until you have at least Class 6 Shields and an Order 07A Anubis Very Heavy Fighter at Level 16+ (post-Single Player Plot), these guys can toast your bun in short order. Why buy a Drake? It's true that Drakes have less forward firepower than the Crusaders do, considering the extra two forward gun ports. And yes, while you can't purchase any Class 6 Weapons until Level 16, you CAN acquire them from Wrecks and as loot from killing enemy ships. The best choices are the Xenos Adv. Tarantula or the Outcasts Pyros Type 3 Particle cannon. Both have the highest DPS and efficiency of any Class 6 Weapon. But the real reason is their tiny profile and their incredibly fast maneuvering speed. Drakes fly like the Starflier did. No other purchasable ship in the game can turn as quickly as the Drake, making it a potential long-term choice until the Anubis becomes available, and potentially through the end of the story mode. It can mount Class 6 shields and weapons, and its agility and small size make it a hard target to hit. Another advantage of a fast turn rate includes the ability to track on a target for longer, somewhat compensating for the lost firepower of the heavy fighters. Finally, if the wings are lost in battle, you don't lose any weapons at the same time because the weapons are not mounted on those weird rear wings that look like they serve no real purpose other than decoration. The Drake with class 6 weapons and a class 5 shield is much more efficient than the Crusader against the Rheinlander Navy encounters, which otherwise can be a real pain. Also, if you're dropping by Planet Kyushu to pick up a Drake anyway, you may as well pick up some H-Fuel at $150 a shot for the run back to the Dublin system. H-Fuel sells for $420 a shot on Battleship Hood, netting a $270 profit per unit of cargo. With a Drake's bay of 35, that's a cool $9,450 profit, not bad! If you really want to make some cash with the run to Kusari space for the Drake, go to Planet Honshu in the Honshu system. To really make it worthwhile, mine a cargo hold full of Gold in the Dublin system before setting out: assuming a bay size of 35, Gold sells for $1,190 on Planet Honshu, netting $41,650 for the first leg! Then, pick up Optronics on Honshu for $140 a unit, and run them back to Planet New London and sell them for $1,204 each, netting $37,240 for the return leg! MISSION 6: DUBLIN SYSTEM *Objective: Fly to Battleship Hood in the Dublin system. **Log Entry: Great -- just great. Juni's got me on this wild goose chase for some guy named Dexter Hovis out in the middle of the Dublin system. I bet he's out on that abandoned battleship. Nothing but scum and gamblers out there. I think they were building some kind of race track out there, too. Maybe I'll place a few down, seeing as I still haven't been paid yet. I hope all of this gets us closer to finding out what that Artifact is all about. After flying to the Dublin system and landing on the Hood, Trent meets Dexter Hovis, who refuses to talk about Professor Quintaine unless Trent races him. Mid-Mission Dialogue *Trent: I'm looking for a guy named Dexter Hovis; have you seen him? *Trent: You Dexter Hovis? *Hovis: I'm Hovis. *Trent: I'm a friend of Quintaine's. I understand you do some work for him every now and then. I've got... *Hovis: You know, I'd love to spend all day jawin' with you, Bretonian, but I really only talk to racers. Unless, of course, you are a racer and you're looking for a challenge. Say, me, perhaps. In that case, I'll talk to ya all day. Providing of course, you live... You see, I have a hard time finding people who'll race against me. Whaddaya say, tenderfoot? *Trent: You're on! *Hovis: Good! I'll meet you outside! MISSION 6: DUBLIN SYSTEM *Objective: Defeat Hovis in a one-lap contest of speed. Then find Quintaine and bring him to Planet Leeds to help Sinclair and Juni with the artifact. **Log Entry: Well, I was right about the track, and I was right about the gambling. The only thing I didn't see coming was that I'd be the main attraction. Wonderful. At least this'll be easier than being shot at by Rheinlanders constantly. Apparently you can't place bets on yourself. Damn it, I'm never gonna get paid. *Objective: Launch to space when you and your ship are ready to race. In-Flight Dialogue *Announcer: We have a challenger! His name is Trent! Against our very own... Dexter Hovis! Place your bets! Make it quick! *Hovis: I was beginning to think you were scared! *Trent: Not a chance! I said I'd race you: here I am! *Hovis: I like your attitude, Bretonian! It'll be a shame to see you burn! But hey: that's the price of sportsmanship! *Trent: I may surprise you, Hovis... *Hovis: We'll see soon enough, won't we? *Robot Race Announcer: Welcome, racers! You have selected a one-lap race. Do you need a review of the regulations? *Hovis: Of course I don't, ya hunk of junk! I built this damn thing, but its memory banks are busted. Simple rules, Bretonian: one round, no shootin', or bumpin', and if you stink it up or chicken out on the course, you'll make me angry. And you don't want that! You ready? *Announcer: Racers, on your marks! Three... Two... One... MISSION 6: DUBLIN SYSTEM - RACE *The race is one lap around the oval-shaped course. The course is twenty-two gates long; the final gate is the same as the first gate. *You must fly through the gates in the proper direction. *Using your cruise engines is strongly recommended. At the final quarter of the race, Hovis will order his boys and the weapons platforms to open up on you, as will Hovis himself. Ignore their fire as best you can and complete the race: they'll cease fire and stop being hostile after that. Hovis will then ask you to meet him on the deck of the Hood to talk. In-Flight Dialogue Hovis: Trent... no hard feelings, right? Alright, I'll tell you what you want to know. But not over the comm channel: meet me on the deck of the Hood! Mid-Mission Dialogue *Hovis: A fine race, Bretonian! I haven't felt the challenge in years! *Trent: Now, tell me about Quintaine: is he here? *Hovis: Here? Naw! He contacted me to take him even further into the asteroid fields, to an abandoned mining station called the Glorious. He's holed up with the pirates that took it over. He said he needed to disappear for a while... Naturally, you didn't hear any of this from me. *Trent: Naturally. Now how do I get there? *Hovis: Take the old Trade Lane into the asteroid field. But be careful: the lane isn't stable. Sometimes the asteroids can get through. And watch out for a group of Rheinlanders that were headed that way; they didn't look too friendly! *Trent: Did they race? *Hovis: Hah! Naw -- too yellah! Hey, Bretonian! If it don't work out, you know, you can always come back and race with us! Mid-Mission News KUSARI CONVOY ATTACKED -- A Kusari convoy near the Kusari/Rheinland border fell to a Rheinland attack wing earlier, eliciting a blistering rebuke from the Shogun Edo. The ships, which were on the Kusari side of the border, are said to have been carrying Food and medical supplies to one of Kusari's outposts when the attack occurred. NIEMANN DEFENDS ACTIONS -- Chancellor Niemann finally addressed the issue of Rheinland's recent attack of a Kusari medical convoy. In his statement he said that the Kusari convoy was operating under direct orders from the Kusari government to implant a "weapon of mass destruction" near an unspecified target in Rheinland space. Therefore, he said, this defensive attack was deemed necessary to preserve Rheinland lives. CARINA DECRIES ACTIONS -- Queen Carina spoke out against the recent attack of a Kusari medical convoy. In her statement she appealed to Chancellor Niemann to end his aggression with Kusari and to work with the other colonies to find a more peaceful solution to their difficulties. ASSASSIN COMMITS SUICIDE -- DNA samples taken from the would-be "Order assassin" match those of a Bretonian man reported missing in the Border Worlds five months ago. Hollings O'Keefe, who was apprehended after he opened fire on the Curacao delegates, apparently died from a Cardamine overdose in his cell. O'Keefe, who had no criminal record before the incident, leaves a legacy of questions, since he died before authorities could learn any details about his disappearance or his subsequent connection to The Order. CURACAO DELEGATES RETURN HOME -- In light of recent events, all remaining delegates of the Curacao summit have been recalled to their respective Houses. The Queen reaffirmed her support for the summit proceedings, hoping that when it resumes, it will act as an instrument to reestablish better understanding and a lasting peace. MISSION 6: DUBLIN SYSTEM *Objective: Find Quintaine and bring him to Planet Leeds to help Sinclair and Juni with the artifact. **Log Entry: That bastard cheated! Lucky for him, I've got better things to do than beat old backwoods freaks like him back where they came from. Alright, Quintaine is supposed to be over on this old abandoned station, the Glorious, not too far from here. Hovis had better be right about this, or I'm turning around and heading straight back. I've had to deal with way too much to deal with some backwater idiot like him. Trent now must leave the Hood and head into the Independent Gold Field where the Glorious is. On the way, there is a fight with several Rheinlanders. After defeating the Rheinlanders, Trent is invited to land on the Glorious. *Objective: Fly to the Waypoint *Objective: Enter the mouth of the old trade lane to Station Glorious. *Objective: Follow the path of the old trade lane to Station Glorious. While flying to the Glorious, Trent overhears a challenge exchange between the Rheinlanders and the Glorious. Oddly, the station is identified as belonging to the GMG (listed as "GMG Station Glorious"): this may be because the model of the station appears to have been borrowed from one of the GMG Sigma bases. In-Flight Dialogue *Glorious Tower: ...negative! Leave the area at once! *Rheinland Gunboat Neuberg: This is your last warning! Surrender Quintaine, or you will be destroyed! *Glorious Tower: All turrets, open fire! The Rheinland forces at this battle consist of four Valkyries and a Gunboat. You are supported by four Hawk fighters from the station piloted by "Q's Men". Destroy the Rheinlanders, and the Glorious invites you to land. *Objective: Defend Station Glorious. *Objective: Land on Station Glorious. Dialogue *Trent: Whoa, easy with that! *Guard: You fought well out there. C'mon; someone wants to have a look at you. *Trent: Hmmph! Doctor Quintaine? *Quintaine: And who are you? *Trent: I'm Trent. Doctor Sinclair sent me to find... *Quintaine: I find that hard to believe considering she has no idea where I am. Now, who sent you? *Trent: I already told you! *Quintaine: Enough! You do understand that with the appearance of our Rheinland friends, I'm hesitant to take too many chances! *Trent: But I fought them too! *Quintaine: Yes, and I wanted to thank you for your help... Push him out of the airlock! *Trent: Wait, wait! I have the Dom'Kavash Artifact! *Quintaine: What did you say? *Trent: I have your artifact! The one Sinclair lost on Pygar: I found it! That's why I came. *Quintaine: I don't suspect you'd have it with you; no that would be too easy... So where is it then! *Trent: Sinclair's working on it back on Leeds in hiding. But she can't decipher it on her own: she needs your help. *Quintaine: Very well, Mr. Trent. I will go back with you, but on one condition: we don't go alone! *Trent: Alright... Trent is given an opportunity to reload and rearm while on the Glorious. There's not much in the way of fabulous equipment; it's more of a chance to repair any combat damage and purchase ammunition. *Objective: Meet Quintaine in space near Station Glorious. **Log Entry: I don't know what's worse: these Rheinland guys who chase me to hell and back, or this old fart Quintaine. I'm trying to save him, and he has the audacity to try to space me?! Well, at least maybe now we can answer a few questions. Still, I'm glad I'm not in the same ship as him. This entire trip has been nothing but one irritation after another. Meeting in space, Trent finds Quintaine flying an Armored Transport, escorted by three Hawk light fighters. In-Flight-Dialogue *Quintaine: Mr. Trent! As you can see, I'm flying this Armored Transport. It's slow, but it contains all the equipment I need for my work! *Escort: It looks like we're in luck, the intermittent Jump Hole to Leeds appears to be phase-aligned right now. We should be able to take it safely. I'm uploading coordinates... Mr. Trent, you take point! *Quintaine: So Sinclair wants to meet on Leeds? That blight on our culture? Alright... *Escort: It's an ambush! *Quintaine: I'm hit! My cruise engines are down! *Escort: Perez & Wallace, protect Quintaine. Mr. Trent, you and I will take down the gunship! Three Valkyries and a Rheinland Gunboat jump the group at this point. After taking them all out, the group proceeds to the Jump Hole to Leeds. As the group approaches, three more Valkyries jump into Dublin from Leeds and attack. After defeating the Rheinlanders, Trent docks with the Jump Hole to Leeds, and the rest follow. **Log Entry: This Rheinland bit is getting old already. I've heard rumors that the Queen Mother is about ready to take up arms against Rheinland. Good, I'm tired of seeing them all over my backyard. You'd think in my own home system I'd be a little safer, but these guys just keep showing up. It's because of things like this that I left to begin with. Still, if all this goes up in flames, I'll never be able to find a good drink again. In-Flight Dialogue *Escort: We'll have you on Planet Leeds before you know it, Professor! *Quintaine: We should be safe now! Let's get back on solid ground... *Escort: Mr. Trent, you have the coordinates to Leeds, take point. *Quintaine: I haven't actually seen Doctor Sinclair for years. She sent me a message a while back saying she made a discovery on Pygar. Finally: a Dom'Kavash Artifact that's still active! I can't wait to see it! *Quintaine: Albertson, turn around! I'll see you later. I'll meet you down on the planet, Mr. Trent. You go first. End-Mission Dialogue *Tobias: Wonderful doing business with you! Goodnight. *Trent: Tobias... *Tobias: Yes? Who's this, then? *Trent: This is Doctor Quintaine. He's a professor. *Tobias: Him? No... what field? *Quintaine: I'll have you know, sir, I am the foremost authority on Xenoarchaeology! *Tobias: Come on, Mr. Wizard! I expect you've come to see the missus! *Sinclair: Quintaine! Dammit, I am mad as hell at you! What happened, where have you been? *Quintaine: I had to go away, Kendra. Not long after you made your discovery, things... began to happen. People around me began to go missing, and I came back one night to find my lab turned upside down! I noticed I was being followed... *Sinclair: By who? *Quintaine: A man named Kress. He told me I was on a list, that my work had put me in great jeopardy. I... left that night and didn't look back. So you see, I couldn't tell anyone... especially you. I thought you'd become a target as well. *Juni: She already is. We all are. <Juni shows Quintaine the Dom'Kavash Artifact> Because of this... *Quintaine: This is it? May I? It's magnificent! *Sinclair: Yes it is! But it's obviously part of something more significant. It's time you and I figured out what that is. *Trent: Well, I hate to rush this reunion along... *Tobias: Someone's here... I'll take care of it. Hello my friends! What can I get for you today? *Rheinlander: We are looking for a man! We have reason to believe he is in the area... *Tobias: Nice looking chap... sorry, haven't seen him. *Rheinlander: He is considered an enemy of Rheinland! Anyone hiding him will face severe consequences! *Tobias: Now you listen to me: you are not in Rheinland now, you're in my shop! I've already told you that the man you're looking for isn't here, so unless you'd like an education in foreign policy you'll not soon forget, I'd suggest you move along: NOW! *Rheinlander: We can be patient, Mr. Tobias. Rest assured, we won't be far. *Tobias: No, I'm sure you won't be... *Juni: It's just a matter of time before they'll be back. *Tobias: She's right. Now that they've got your scent, it's not safe here anymore. *Quintaine: Kress! The night he came, he offered me a place to hide in the Border Worlds. Maybe now is a good time to take him up on it... *Juni: But do you trust him? *Quintaine: I'd rather take my chances with him than those Rheinland agents. *Juni: We need you now, Trent: ready? *Trent: Alright, let's go. Now, I want you to get clear of this place for a while. *Tobias: I'm not going to be... *Trent: Just until this blows over! I'll be back when I can. Take care of yourself, old man! *Objective: You have to hide from the Rheinland agents. Fly with Juni, Sinclair, and Quintaine to the Border Worlds and find the base of the mysterious Kress. **Log Entry: Finally, I can get off this hunk of smoking rock and out of this stinking brown system. Juni needs me to help get Quintaine and Sinclair out of Bretonia. Every time that guy opens his big mouth, I want to stick my fist in it. If this is the best and brightest the colonies have to offer, we're all doomed. I have to wonder -- the last time I left Leeds, I managed to piss off an entire government. I hope I can come back again one day. At this point, the player advances to Level 12. Post-Mission News EDO ASKS FOR SUPPORT -- Kusari has appealed to the governments of Liberty and Bretonia in their dealings with Rheinland. Shogun Edo says that his principal concern is the welfare of his people still within Rheinland's borders. He said that he is receiving enormous pressure to act militarily, but is still seeking a peaceful resolution. EDO DENIES ALLEGATIONS -- Shogun Edo dismissed the Chancellor's statement that one of Kusari's own medical convoys was being used to transport an explosive device into Rheinland territory. He warned Niemann that he could not allow this "wanton slaughter" to continue and insisted that Rheinland release the Kusari citizens that they were holding hostage. DEVICE FOUND IN CONVOY WRECK -- Rheinland officials have presented evidence in support of their claims that the Kusari medical convoy, recently destroyed by Rheinland ships, was actually on a covert "seek and destroy mission." In their analysis they discovered that a device, based on a fusion-bomb design, had been cleverly modified using Kusari components to be even more thorough in its destructive power. Meanwhile, Kusari officials demanded to inspect this so-called evidence, denouncing it as a feeble attempt by Rheinland to justify its war-like actions. Post-Mission Rumors "The ghost images that repeatedly show up? Those are cloaked ships, which can only mean one thing. Rheinland. I've heard reports of sightings near the Stokes Smelter, and even threats of hostility. At first they thought it was the Mollys, but I think that Rheinland is about to hit Leeds hard." - Captain Diana Ferguson, Bretonia Police, Planet Leeds "I just tried to get here from Tau-23! Those bastard Rheinlanders are blocking the jump gates, so I had to find a jump hole. Thank God for space anomalies. It seems like those bastards are blocking all the exits. I probably should have stayed in Tau-23 but my family's here." - Constable Arthur Moore, Bretonia Police, Planet Leeds Next Up: Mission 7! Trent, Juni, Sinclair, and Quintaine flee into the Tau Border Worlds. It's worth noting that there is no freelancing between Mission 6 and Mission 7: Mission 7 begins immediately after Mission 6 is complete. But don't worry: after Mission 7 is complete, you get to freelance for a while at Level 13: maybe time to buy a new ship! Category:Missions